No Honour by Awais Khan
In sixteen-year-old Abida’s small Pakistani village, there are age-old rules to live by, and her family’s honour to protect. And, yet, her spirit is defiant and she yearns to make a home with the man she loves.
When the unthinkable happens, Abida faces the same fate as other young girls who have chosen unacceptable alliances – certain, public death. Fired by a fierce determination to resist everything she knows to be wrong about the society into which she was born, and aided by her devoted father, Jamil, who puts his own life on the line to help her, she escapes to Lahore – only to disappear.
Jamil goes to Lahore in search of Abida – a city where the prejudices that dominate their village take on a new and horrifying form – and father and daughter are caught in a world from which they may never escape.
About the author.
Awais Khan is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario and Durham University, and studied creative writing with Faber Academy. His debut novel, In the Company of Strangers, was published to much critical acclaim, and he now regularly appears on TV and radio. Awais also teaches a popular online creative writing course to aspiring writers around the world. He lives in Lahore and is currently working on his third novel. Follow Awais on Twitter @AwaisKhanAuthor.
Review
‘No Honour’ is a shockingly beautiful book despite the horrific topic it deals with. This is a book that does not hold back and the opening scene let's you know that. This is a powerful fictionalised account of what for the people Pakistan can be a daily occurrence. Honour killings need to be shouted about as there were still over 1000 alone in 2015.
There are no embellishments in Khan’s style of writing, he keeps it's crisp, with simple prose in order to get his message across. But yet he also manages to transport you right into the scene he is describing. I honestly had goosebumps when I read the opening scene and throughout the book. I devoured this in one sitting. It's by no means an easy book to read but its compelling, heart wrenching and strangely is a hopeful book despite its emotive subject. It depicts change occurring in the villages and towns against these practices and that is what is needed to defeat the fundamentalists. This isn't just a problem in Pakistan and it's not just about women’s behaviour. It's fundamentalism in general and even occurs in my home of Glasgow. My local corner shop owner was murdered based on his sectoral Muslim views. I know of people who went on their summer breaks and ended up with ‘surprise’ weddings and never returned home.
The character of Abida is one I will remember for a long time. Boy, the journey that poor girl went on is unbelievable. But she is a bastion of strength and power. She heralds change and hope. She is a survivor.
I hope that this novel gets the exposure that it deserves as it's an important topic that needs to be discussed, especially outwith the Asian community. Some readers will pick this book up and be horrified by the subject and not be aware of what is happening. But this needs to change. The diaspora of Pakistanis around the world can help change attitudes within their ancestral home but they also need the help of the nations where they are living. Legislation can be enacted and education needs to be provided not just in their communities but in the wider communities. We can't help unless we know about it. Sorry, this is a topic that makes me emotional so I'm probably rambling now.
You NEED to read this book.
